Did you know that 10 to 20% of people invited to a wedding won’t attend? This huge number of no-shows is one of the most under-reported stats in the wedding industry. Whatever their excuse for giving your big day a miss, there are a few tips and tricks you can use to improve your RSVP rate. Read on to discover more.
Invite guests with this RSVP rate in mind
A hack used by many marrying couples is to invite more guests than they had in mind to allow for the average rate of non-attendance. It is important to consider however that this is far from foolproof.
If this is your method of choice, ensuring you have the wedding budget and provisions to support each and every one of your guests if you’re lucky enough to have 100% of them say “yes” to your invite is vital.
Make it easier for guests to RSVP
RSVPing to an invitation shouldn’t be difficult. That being said, giving guests more than one option for how they can RSVP is recommended. In fact, EventUp suggests offering three ways to reply:
“Here’s a fun fact, one in four smartphone users haven’t used their phone to make a call in the past week. It may sound crazy, but in this day and age, it doesn’t surprise me. And this is one great reason why asking guests to RSVP by calling you should not be the only reply option you offer them. Consider offering multiple ways for people to RSVP. Calling, texting, emailing, and direct mail replies are all great options.”
Go digital for faster responses
Going digital, instead of enclosing the obligatory RSVP response card, is a great way to speed up the process for you and your guests. If you do have your heart set on RSVP cards, be sure to provide stamped and pre-addressed envelopes for your guests to use.
Give them an actual deadline…
That final headcount is integral to the success of many aspects of your wedding day, from your ceremony seating arrangements to your catering. Don’t leave anything to chance, specify a deadline on the wedding invitation for your RSVPs to ensure wedding timelining goes as smoothly as it should do.
Your RSVP deadline should be at least two to four weeks before your wedding date. This will give you plenty of time to make those final arrangements. You should also make your RSVP deadline date a nice, round number so it’s easier to remember.
…and a polite yet direct reminder!
As you may know from experience, remembering to RSVP isn’t always easy. After setting an RSVP deadline and giving your guests multiple options on how they let you know whether it’s a “yes” or a “no”, you should give guests a polite nudge to help them RSVP on time.
Send your reminders one to two weeks before your deadline. Reminders can be sent via text or email. Alternatively, you may want to pick up the phone to ask family and friends to respond to your RSVP.
